Jabo Ibehre has denied ever saying that he did not want to play for Colchester United or boss Tony Humes.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Gazette, the powerful striker has finally lifted the lid on his absence from the U’s team this season.

Ibehre, who will leave Colchester this summer when his contract expires, has not pulled on a U’s shirt since last August.

Speaking soon after his appointment as Joe Dunne’s successor last September, Humes said Ibehre had told him that he wanted a new challenge elsewhere.

Ibehre confirmed he did ask to go out on loan, primarily in a bid to shake off an injury that had troubled him in the early weeks of the season.

But the 32-year-old insists that contrary to speculation, he had no problem playing under Humes.

Ibehre said: “A lot of things have been written that are far from the truth and the story seems to have changed.

“I’ve kept silent on the whole thing but I never once said that I didn’t want to play for the club or the manager - those words never came out of my mouth.

“I respect Mr Humes and I like the guy, so it was nothing like that.

“The real issue is that the timing of me asking to go out on loan was more co-incidental, rather than me not willing to play for the manager or the club.

“I’d been playing with an injury at the start of the season that needed to be rested and after the Peterborough game (Dunne’s final match in charge), it was agreed I was going to have a rest.

“But Mr Dunne left the club in that period and when Mr Humes took over, I asked to go out on loan and get fit.

“I felt that at that time, I needed to go out on loan, have a fresh challenge and refresh my mind somewhere else, in a new environment.

“It wasn’t because Mr Humes had taken over - I just wanted to get my fitness up and clear my head and that was it.

“It’s just that it co-incided with a new manager taking over and people put two and two together.”

Ibehre’s wish to move on loan was granted a few weeks later when he moved to Colchester’s League One rivals Oldham Athletic, last October.

And after a three-month spell with the Latics, the former MK Dons favourite then spent two months on loan at Barnsley.

“When I came back from my loan at Oldham I wanted to continue and I reiterated that the fresh break was good,” added Ibehre.

“There was a bit of change at Colchester and a lot of players had gone, so I thought the best thing would be to continue out of the picture.

“That was how it was left at the time and things had moved on and things had changed.

“I felt at the time that was the best thing for me and I went out on loan again to Barnsley.

“I got to a point where I did want to move on but it wasn’t like that at the start.”

For all of the latest Colchester United news, see the Daily Gazette.